This invention relates to an apparatus for aligning flat, angular articles such as baked goods and for filling a container (packaging box) with such articles. The apparatus comprises an intermediate container in which the articles are held in readiness in a random pile for discharge through a closable outlet opening provided in the intermediate container. The apparatus further has a conveyor arrangement provided with aligning devices as well as a charging hopper which has a closable discharge opening and which serves for releasing quantities of articles into the packaging box.
It is known to fill packaging boxes in a random manner with baked goods and other foodstuff of varying shape. Such baked goods may be, for example, hexagonal crackers or rectangular Triscuits. A random filling (pouring) of baked goods into packaging boxes has the disadvantage that unoccupied spaces result, whereby the utilization of the available box space is incomplete and consequently the packaging machines operate with a reduced efficiency.
On the other hand, however, a pouring of the baked goods facilitates the metering thereof, because a high degree of weight accuracy can be achieved with relatively small structural input.
In the packaging industry machines are further known which stack flat articles such as biscuits in an aligned manner and packages them in counted quantities. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,783 discloses an apparatus in which flat-lying circular articles are, on a conveyor belt, gathered into channels and introduced into a collector by means of drums having a stepped circumferential surface. In each stepped part there is accommodated an article and, dependent upon the height at which a remover for the collector is arranged, the articles may be further conveyed in a flat-lying or edgewise standing orientation.
Heretofore no apparatus has been known with which flat articles conveyed in a random pile are aligned at least to a certain degree for depositing them in a packaging box in their aligned state.